Tabs

SNN (ScrollingNetworkNews) ✿ ✿ Our Mel and Sydney returned to their nesting box with plenty of bonding occurring..but after 2.5 months of Sydney in the box from Dec 2013 to mid Feb 2014, the lack of prey gifts from Mel ( perhaps due to the severe and historic drought underway in California)and they have forgone the nesting process this year as many other raptors ✿ Compared to other owls of similar size, the Barn Owl has a much higher metabolic rate, requiring relatively more food. Pound for pound, Barn Owls consume more rodents – often regarded as pests by humans – than possibly any other creature. ✿ We remind viewers that sometimes owlets may not survive - the parents will dispose of things in "The Owl Way" -viewer discretion is advised, this is nature and the "Owl way". ✿
~ ✿ “Animals, like us, are living souls. They are not things. They are not objects. Neither are they human. Yet they mourn. They love. They dance. They suffer. They know the peaks and chasms of being.”
― Gary Kowalski, The Souls of Animals ✿ Each species is a masterpiece, a creation assembled with extreme care and genius." ~ E.O. Wilson

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Banding the mysterious barn owl

Look at a barn owl and it’s easy to see why legends of ghosts in barns, old buildings and church yards have legs.

They hunt at night, have the gift of silent flight and look like a flash of white as they move, swoop and dive for their prey. Add to that a scream that probably sounds like a people’s idea of a banshee, who in Gaelic folklore was the spirit that wailed and foretold death in a household.

So misunderstood, these owls.

The Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife has 17 barn owl nest boxes on state wildlife lands. There are another eight at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Throughout the spring breeding season, biologists monitor those nest boxes and band young owls before they fledge and move out of the nest.

“Banding provides valuable information on life span, home range, nest site fidelity and migratory patterns, and assists in estimating population size,” he said.

The population is stable in Delaware, but in some states, these owls are listed as state endangered species. That makes them a species of concern, Lehman said. The state started building and placing nest boxes in Delaware in 1990.

The birds don’t have an easy time of it. As many as 75 percent die in their first year of life, and many don’t make it much beyond their first breeding season. They fall victim to predators, such as foxes, the larger great-horned owl and even raccoons. Loss of habitat from filling of marshes and destruction of old, abandoned or little-used building has also taken a toll, he said.

The largest populations of barn owls in Delaware are centered along the wetlands of the Delaware Bayshore. There, they feed on meadow voles.
At a nesting box in the state’s Woodland Beach Wildlife Area, it’s easy to see why they are such voracious eaters. There are seven pre-fledglings in this box.
Since 1996, biologists here have banded 556 barn owls.

Among this group are young birds from 117 broods and 29 adult females. Delaware’s birds are sometimes recaptured in New Jersey. One bird was recaptured at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge near Cambridge, Md.
Because the birds in Delaware are so dependent on meadow voles, weather can play a key role in the success or failure of a brood. If the spring is dry, meadow voles stop breeding, and the food source for barn owls dries up, he said.

“That’s the disadvantage of keying in on one-prey species,” he said.

Once these predatory birds take flight, they’ll stop using the nest and will roost in trees during the day. By night, they’ll go hunting, scaring up a meal.

Kangarobin - Box Owner

Translate

Clutch 4 - 2014

Celebrating Over 350K Blog Hits

Moderators have a challenging job.

Our volunteer moderators do their very best to answer questions, but it’s impossible for them to answer them all, especially when the chat is very busy. Please be patient and understanding. Moderators are people, too! It’s not easy to moderate a real-time chat. Please thank the moderators for giving us all the opportunity to chat.

10 Facts about Barn Owls

Want a barn owl as a pet?

Barn Owl in a minute

About the Barn Owl

raptorsrthesolution

Rodent Control with Barn Owls & Kestrels

Spearheaded by the University
of Tel Aviv,Israel has one of the most
robust barn owl nest box projects in the world.
Communal farms have reported such success
with erecting hundreds of nest boxes around
the country that Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture
has decided to fund and expand the project.

Quote from the Audobon Society:

We cannot win this battle to save species and environments without forging an emotional bond between ourselves and nature as well - for we will not fight to save what we do not love.

~Stephen Jay Gould

Quote from The Barn Owl Trust

'We need to care - not only for Barn Owls but for our own survival. The two are inextricably linked.'- David Ramsden of the Barn Owl Trust

The Common Barn Owl by Morning Glory

Our Babies C1

IMPORTANT: Owl box cleaning should be done between mid-October and before the end of November to be assured that nesting season is complete, or has not yet begun. An easy way to remember: Clean the barn owl box between Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Tools needed: rubber gloves, face mask, trowel or other scraping tool (a pry bar with a hammer works well), trash bag or box, drill or other tool to open screws on clean out flap, extra screws.

Always have a helper to hold the ladder steady, and to stand by while you are at the box.

An owl may be roosting (sleeping) in your box, so try to peek into the box through the front entrance hole. If you see an owl, retreat quietly and remove the ladder. But if the owl flies out, just go ahead and clean the box. For this reason it is best to do the cleaning in late afternoon, if at all possible.

Wear a mask and gloves. Owls create pellets of bones and fur that they regurgitate daily into the owl box. It might sound gross, but the pellets actually create a dry "carpet" that is soft and warm for the eggs to be laid on. This "carpet" can become quite hardened, so that when you go to clean it out, it will be like cement stuck to the bottom of the box!

Once the clean-out flap and the top of the box are open, use your scraper to loosen up the "carpet" inside. If the "carpet" is very hard and stuck to the bottom, try wedging the pry bar between the bottom of the "carpet" and the box, then use a hammer to get it as far under as possible. Then begin pushing the carpet up. If all goes well, the carpet may come lose in one large chunk, greatly reducing your cleaning time. Scrape the carpet and all other debris into the trash bag, or box. You will get a good look at the remains of what your owls have been eating! You will likely find loose bones and possibly the desiccated remains of prey. There may be some live insects in the box, usually beetles and the occasional maggot. But on the whole, it should be quite dry with few insects. Sometimes wasps nest in the boxes, these can be removed without the use of poisons, please contact us for advice.

After getting as much debris as possible out of the box (making sure to clear the drainage holes in the bottom), close and secure the flap. Do not leave any material inside the box—the owls will take care of creating a new "carpet." Take a look at the box and see if it is in need of any repair - does it still look water resistent? There are no gaps between the pieces of wood and the coat of sealant still looks fresh? If it has rained recently and the box looks wet inside it may need to be taken down and repositioned away from prevailing winds.

Close the trash bag or box and place in a trash receptacle. Repair any damage or wear that has occurred. Now your box is ready and waiting for a new owl family! Thank you for completing this important, task!

NOTE - By cleaning out debris from the nest box prior to the nesting season, and not disturbing the owls while they are present, boxes may be used repeatedly for many years.

Research suggests that nest boxes placed atop poles in open fields are likely to be the most effective.

In one study, it was found that owls had begun nesting within two months after nesting boxes were installed in farm fields. In contrast, it was three years before owls began roosting in nesting boxes placed in trees.

Brood Patch

To help with incubation, female owls have a sparsely feathered brood patch on their bellies that has a higher percentage of blood vessels than other parts of the skin.

The brood patch is "warmer" because bare skin has a higher density of blood vessels than other parts of the skin, providing a direct source of warmth when in contact with the eggs

Blood flows through these vessels and creates a good source of heat for the eggs.

Brood Patch to Incubate Eggs

Growth of a Barn Owl Embryo

The Actual laying of an egg

How long before eggs hatch:

The owlets hatch out after about 30 days. The female begins incubation immediately after the 1st egg is laid. This means every egg will hatch on a different day. It will be another 3 months or more before they are independent after they hatch.

Barn Owl Egg

Barn owl eggs are white and round, about the size of a Ping-Pong ball.

Egg Hatching

Owlet Growth Chart

Barn Owl Body Diagram

US Wildlife Rehabilitators listed by State

Click on the owl for your state. Upon receiving an injured, ill or orphaned animal, a trained rehabilitator evaluates the condition of the animal and provides medical treatment if needed.

Find your State

Keep in mind that the barn owl is likely more common than suspected in most areas.

It is a highly secretive bird, and unlike other owls, calls infrequently except in breeding season.

For more specific information, find your state from the link. Some of the states have links to detailed range maps.